Hi All,

I have a slight concern over my cylinder head on my Escort.

I was doing some general maintenance on the car, and was changing the spark plugs.

After i removed them all, No. 1 plug was black with soot compared to the rest.

Strange I thought, so I had a look inside the plug hole - after removing the rocker cover.

When I shined a torch into the plug hole, I could see my reflection. Some how oil is getting into the chamber and collecting on top of the piston, roughly 3mm of oil in total

So what could it be as the oil only comes when the car is stood, doesn't blue smoke and runs fine when warm - but does use some oil on a hard run.

I also checked the other chambers to find that they where slightly damp with oil.

So what could it be?? Valve guides? Seals or worse the piston rings (but that would create blue smoke so I'm ruling it out)

Any info - exploded diagrams etc would be greatly received as I would like to solve this problem before it gets beyond hope.

Many Thanks

 

Valve stem oil seals I'd of thought. If you get blue smoke when it starts from cold or when its been stood for a while. Could be the Valve guides but it would smoke a lot all the time I'd imagine.

 

But I have not seen any blue smoke at all!?!

I think I will have to check this out.

 

I would have a look before you actually remove the plug.
that much oil would cause a lot of smoke, its more likely your rocker cover gasket has gone & oil has been collecting around the plugs. when you've removed the plug the oil has dropped into the cylinder

 

A compression test would show up worn rings or other leaks. That just leaves Guides & seals or as mentioned above, had a rocker gasket go on mine.

 

Its was a new rocker gasket only a couple of hundred miles ago as I had the rocker cover revamped.

The area where the spark plug lives in the cylinder head is complete dry and free of oil, so that rules out the gasket, also the plug was dry, on the spark end is black and sooty

 

to much fuel on that particular cylinder.maybe a fucked injector....

 

valve guides & stem seals

 

tom, daz has a special too for doing valve guides so dont whip your head of to do them, use his tool

 

get a compression & leakage test done, a leakage test can often tell more that a compression test. Try to swab the oil on the top of the piston & see if its engine oil or more like a mass of fuel (fuel normally go's quite quickly)

 

Its deffo the seals/guides as its also doing it in piston chambers 3 and 4.

AJC:-

Please continue........

 

speak to daz about it tom, he will help im sure